Pivot connection of current-collecting or trolley poles.



No. 700,544. Patented May 20, I902. Y P. McCULLOUGH, .T. BLANEY & n. BARON.

PIVOT CONNECTION OF CURRENT COLLECTING OR TROLLEY ROLES.

(Application filed Jan. 14, 1902.)

(No Model.)

wusiws s fi. Jmventors mWz-W .YHE nonms was 1:0. Pgim'o-uTHQ. wAsn-lmswn. n, c.

UN STATES PATENT O FICE.

PI-IELAM MOC-ULLOUGH, THOMAS BLANEY, AND ROBERT BARON,OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND; SAID BLANEY AND'BARON ASSIGNORS TO SAID MCOULLOUGH.

PIVOT CONNECTION OF CURRENT-COLLECTING R TROLLEY POLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,544, dated May 20, 1902. Application filed January 14, 1902. Serial No. 89,642 (N0 model-l To all whom it ntay concern:

lowing is aspecification.

' Be it known that we, PHEL'AM MOCUL- LOUGH, electrical engineer, residing in Tue Brook, Liverpool, and THOMAS BLANEY, electrical engineer, and ROBERT BARON, me chanical engineer, residing in Aintree, Liverpool, in the *county of Lancaster,iEngland, subjects of" the King'of Great Britain, have invented certain" new and useful Improve-- ments in the 'PivotjConnections of' Current- Oollecting or Trolley-PolesofWhich the fol- Provisionaliprotectionapplied for in England May 4,;1901, No 9,279:

This invention relates to the connection be tween the standards of electric vehicles and the poles which support the trolleys or ourrent-collectors for taking current from overhead electric wires. I r

The object of this invention is to so arrange the current-conductors that whatever position the trolley pole may occupy the current shall be able to pass freelyifrom the 0011; doctor in the poleto the operating parts of the vehicle. I v The invention will-be best understood -.by reference to the accompanying-drawings, in

' which- 'Figure 1 isan elevation of the standard, trolley-pole, and connections. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the pivoting-head; and Fig. 3 is a detail view ofa modification. I a

The standard a, which is unounted on the top of the vehicle, may be of any known form, that which is shown being the one generally in use upon vehicles having seats on the outside. The pole bis mounted upon the top of the standard by means of ahinged revoluble heador support 0 d, the parts of which are hinged together at e. j The part cl is extended downward and'has a ball-race on its under side, the other half of therace being formed in a cap f, whichis .screwed upon the top of the standard. In the underside of this cap is also aball-race, anda diskfg seclured by a nut h on the downward extension of the part (1, forms the other half of this lower bearing. A central hole through the piece at is lined with wood, lignum-vitae, or like insulation 11,

and throughthis latter passes the currentconducting rod'lc, which is connected to the tionin thestandard by means of a set-screw q. A guiding-pin 0, adj usted by a nut 8, serves to keep the two plates at and o concentric and to prevent them from separating, and balls arranged in races on the opposite faces of these plates allow the upper plate to rotate freely over the lower one and insure a constant Inetallic and conductive connection between the two plates. A conductor t is connected to any point in the-lower plate, orthe pin 7' may be continued downward'and employed'asa conductor, but'in thiscase it must bein very tight contact with the lower plate.

On thelower part of the pole b is a strong spiral'spring a, the lower end of whichrests upon the hinged piece 0 and upon the upper end of which a collar 4) bears. This collar is connected-to the rev'oluble headpiece d at 00 by two tie-rods w, which are pivoted upon the collar '0 at y. (V

In use owing to the position of the pivots 0c the tension on the pole as it is pulled down first increases considerably; but when the usual working angle is reached-for example, that shown inf ull'lines in Fig. 1the tension remains approximately constant-that is to say, whether the polebe pulled down farther or allowed to rise the tension neither appreciably increases or decreases.. When-the pole is pulled down some distance farther, however, the tension ceases to act altogether, This occurs whenthe pivotsoc eyaredn'line, and if the pole were further lowered the spring would begin to expand, tending to depress the pole still lower.

never reaches the limit of the upward ten- In use, however, the pole I sion point and the relative heights of the points at and e are calculated so that the point of medium tension corresponds with the most usual working angle for the pole on the particular line in question, and it is only when repairs are necessary that the pole is pulled down beyond the limit of the upward tension. It will be readily understood that the theory of the relative positions of the points as and e is that if the point a; be raised or brought nearer to the point e the angle of greatest tension is lowered, and if the point x be lowered or placed farther away from the point e the angle of greatest tension is raised.

Owing to the particular arrangement of the bearings of the pivoting-head and the contact-plates the pole is at liberty to turn relatively to the standard into any required position and may be swung around in either direction without in any way disturbing the electrical connections.

The parts 0 and d of the head, the bearing 9, nut 7L, conductor 7.", and plate on all revolve with the pole, while the capfand the plate 19 remain stationary.

If preferred, the part d of the revoluble head may be formed as shown in Fig. 3 in order to limit the upward movement of the pole, as of course it is never necessary for the latter to rise to within a considerable angle from the perpendicular and accidents might result from its freedom to do so.

The halls between the plates on and 0 should be kept rather tightly pressed between those plates in order to insure good electric contact.

We declare that what we claim is 1. In an electric-current-collecting or trolley pole, the combination with a headpiece, of a pole connected therewith,- a conductor secured and insulated in said headpiece, a plate attached to said conductor, and a second plate facing the first plate and contacting therewith through a plurality of bearingballs.

2. in an electric-current-collecting or trolley pole, the combination with a standard, of a headpiece to which the pole is connected,

a cap on the top of the standard, bearings for the headpiece in said cap, a conductingrod secured and insulated in said headpiece, an insulated conductor connected to said conducting-rod and to the current-collector on the end of the pole, a plate on the lower end of the conducting-rod, a second plate opposite the first and rigidly mounted and insulated in the standard, balls between said plates, and a conductor for carrying away the current from the said second plate.

3. In an electric-current-collecting or trolley pole, the combination of a revoluble headpiece to which the pole is attached, a conducting-rod mounted in insulation in said headpiece, and electrically connected to the current-collector, a plate attached to said conducting-rod, a second plate facing said first plate and fixed in insulation in the standard, and balls between said plates, whereby electric contact is established between them, and in whatever position the head may be said contact is kept constant.

4.. The combination of the headpiece d c to the part c of which the pole Z) is attached, a conducting-rod mounted in insulation 71 in said headpiece (l, a plate m attached to said conducting-rod, a plate 0 mounted in in sulation p in the standard (6, and balls between said plates, whereby the current from the collector is conveyed to the working parts of the vehicle in whatever position the head may be.

In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names this 24th day of December, 1901, in the presence of subscribing witnesses.

PHELAM MCOULLOUGH. THOMAS BLANEY. ROBERT BARON.

Witnesses to the signatures of the said Phelain McCullough and the said Thomas Blaneyz G. G. DYMOND, F. P. EVANS.

Witnesses to the signature of the said Rob ert Baron:

Gno. E. WEBSTER,

N. H. MORTON.- 

